UPDATE 1 - Romania's Jan-Aug Trade Gap Widens 9.35% Y/Y to 14.579 Bln Euro

FOB (free-on-board) exports rose by some 18.3% to 22.63 billion euro in the first eight months, while CIF (cost-insurance-freight) imports advanced by some 14.6% to 37.21 billion euro, INS said in a statement. CIF figures, unlike the FOB ones, include the price of insurance and transport of goods.

Vehicles and transport equipment were the most traded products through August, accounting for 34.1% of Romania's exports and 36.0% of its imports.

The European Union, which Romania joined in January last year, was the country's main trade partner in the first eight months of this year, accounting for nearly 70% of the country's total imports and exports.

Details follow (in millions of euro, y/y pct change in brackets):

Romania's trade gap widened by 44.4% to 21.5 billion euro last year.

($ = 0.7288 euro)